Moving to Seattle

Are you considering long distance moving to Seattle? If you are looking for information on the area, and help with your move to Seattle then allow us to guide you. We will provide you with up to 10 free and personalised quotes from top experienced moving companies, who will safely transport your possessions from door to door, inter-state or internationally.

Seattle is an important port city, located on the coast of the North West of the US, in the state of Washington. The local climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean, although it is cloudy around 2/3 of the year.

Infrastructure / Job Prospects

If you are are interested in a long distance moving to Seattle for work, you have chosen an exceptional city. Seattle has been ranked as one of the top 10 cities for business in the US.

Seattle provides the location for the headquarters of 5 of the Fortune 500 companies, many of which are worldwide global brands, including Starbucks and Amazon.com

Microsoft, Nintendo of America, T-Mobile and Costco are just a few of the other large companies located in Seattle or surrounding cities.

The billionaire Paul Allen formally of Microsoft, has contributed greatly to the Seattle region, having driven the development of an economic boom.

Boeing, which used to have its headquarters in the city, is still the city’s largest private sector employer and retains its largest division in the area. The two local manufacturing facilities are responsible for producing the well known 737 вЂ“ 777 series of jet aeroplanes.

The city’s mayor has announced a program for bio-tech companies moving to Seattle in order to create a bio-tech cluster in the city. The area is already host to established companies, and is trying to attract new companies.

Seattle is a major tourist destination, attracting 9 million visitors a year with its local arts, culture, and national park destination, and a busy events calendar. Tourism generates $4 million for the city each year and provides 60,000 jobs. The city provides the ideal location for many annual cultural events, including film festivals, visual arts events and book fairs.

The city is well known world wide for arts and culture, with several important Museums, including the Seattle Art Museum, The Museum of History and Industry and the Museum of Flight. In addition the visual arts are supported by a host of galleries, including public, commercial, and artist-run. The Seattle Art Museum (affectionately known as SAM) houses a collection worth well over $1 billion, and of global importance.

In education, the University of Washington is known as one of the country’s top medical research institutions, and there are a cluster of hospitals in the First Hill area nicknamed “Pill Hill” locally.

Living cost and Taxes

The city has been ranked as one of the most expensive US cities in which to purchase real-estate relative to local wages.

Tax

The city’s sales tax is 8.8% and income tax rates vary between 10% and 38.6%

Seattle loves its coffee, and many business people are dependent on their morning fix. In 2003 the city received international press attention when it considered adding a special tax on coffee in order to raise money for education.

Education

The city has one of the highest proportions of high school and bachelor degrees in the country, and is ranked as the most liberal city in the country.

Ports

The Port of Seattle is one of the largest cargo ports on the West Coast, and closer to Asia than any other major port in the US, making it ideal for products moving to Seattle from Asia and other international destinations. The port was 10th in terms of total dollar value of goods moving through the port, with a total of $36 billion in 2006. In the same year the port handled nearly 14 million tons of containerized cargo and over 20 million tons of cargo in total. The largest single import or export destination was China with nearly a third of all trade by dollar value of over $12 billion.

The port also facilitates a large amount of the city’s tourism, bringing in over 750,000 cruise ship passengers a year and several major cruise lines call at the port, including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises.

The port has also done much to improve the local area and tourist facilities, with bike paths and trails, and a pier complex with restaurant and shopping facilities.

Major airports

The largest airport serving Seattle is the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) or Sea-Tac airport as it is known locally. It is one of the busiest airports in the North Western US, serving around 30 million passengers a year.

The airport serves a comprehensive selection of cities in the US, as well as a growing number of international routes including London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam in Europe, Teipei, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo in Asia, and Mumbai in India.

The Airport is also a busy cargo destination with an increasing amount of cargo moving to Seattle through the airport each year.

Important Cities and Population Density

Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington, with nearly 600,000 residents, and has a density of around 7000 people per square mile, contained in an area of around 85 square miles.

Seattle Facts

Seattle is a singles city, with one of the highest percentages of single person households in the country at over 40% and is also one of the most liberal cities in the US, with one of the highest proportions of gay, lesbian or bi-sexuals in any US city at 12%. Only San Francisco has a higher percentage.

Seattle is known as the birthplace of Grunge, and in the 90s was home to some of the largest bands in the world, notably Nirvana, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, an impressive collection for one city!

Of the residents, around 67 percent are White, 16 percent Asian and 10 African American. The city is becoming increasingly diverse, and those moving to Seattle have been increasing born outside the US, causing a 40% increase in the foreign immigrant population.

We will help you, and make your long distance moving to Seattle easy! We recommend you fill out the free estimate form which will allow you to specify details of the possessions you would like to take with you when you move. We will provide you with up to ten free, personalised quotes from pre-screened inter-state and international moving companies.